Hairspray (1988) - IMDb IMDb There was an error trying to load your rating for this title. Some parts of this page won't work property. Please reload or try later. X Beta I'm Watching This! Keep track of everything you watch; tell your friends. Error A 'pleasantly plump' teenager teaches 1962 Baltimore a thing or two about integration after landing a spot on a local TV dance show. Director: From $2.99 (SD) on Amazon Video ON DISC a list of 21 titles created 06 Sep 2011 a list of 35 titles created 09 Jul 2012 a list of 45 titles created 19 May 2014 a list of 31 titles created 21 Jun 2015 a list of 44 titles created 3 months ago Search for " Hairspray " on Amazon.com Connect with IMDb Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below. You must be a registered user to use the IMDb rating plugin.

Edit Storyline 'Pleasantly Plump' teenager Tracy Turnblad achieves her dream of becoming a regular on the Corny Collins Dance Show. Now a teen hero, she starts using her fame to speak out for the causes she believes in, most of all integration. In doing so, she earns the wrath of the show's former star, Amber Von Tussle, as well as Amber's manipulative, pro-segregation parents. The rivalry comes to a head as Amber and Tracy vie for the title of Miss Auto Show 1963. Written by Jean-Marc Rocher <rocher@fiberbit.net> The world was in a mess... but their hair was perfect!! See more » Genres: 26 February 1988 (USA) See more » Also Known As: Did You Know? Trivia The principal's office that Tracy Turnblad was sent to was a real principal's office. See more » Goofs When the two kids in the red car pull to the curb, two boys in blue pants walk by twice. See more » Quotes See more » Crazy Credits During the ending credits, there are footsteps moving to the beat of the song playing in the background.

See more » Connections (Marietta, GA, USA) – See all my reviews After an abomination like 'Pink Flamingos' it was a surprise for me to learn that this guy had talent. Like Spike Lee or Oliver Stone, you've got to admit that John Waters, like him or not, is a born moviemaker. Also like those two (and ultimately all great directors) he knows how to speak with his own voice and translate his vision to the screen. His writing is most impressive here as he manages to point up the evils of racism and segregation while not abandoning his wacked-out comedic style. And his eye for period detail is uncanny (as long as the period wasn't too long ago!) 'Hairspray' is great entertainment, fun to watch and edifying, too. Who would have thought that? 22 of 36 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you?

Yes Hairspray (1988 Film) [VHS Video]: Divine, Ricki Lake, Ruth Brown, Sonny Bono, Josh Charles, Jason Downs, Deborah Harry, John Waters, Rachel Talalay: Amazon.com: Books By ARZFAN on February 4, 2015 Format: DVD|Verified Purchase Forever interested in the kitsch built into past eras, director John Waters chooses the TV dance show craze of the early '60s for his playful focus in Hairspray. Ricki Lake plays Tracy Turnblad, just one of several alliteratively named characters coming of age in 1962 Baltimore, where "The Corny Collins Show" is the most popular American Bandstand-type program, watched by hundreds of young dreamers each day after school. Being chosen to dance on it is the ultimate status symbol and every young girl's dream, and Tracy improbably wins a featured spot when she infiltrates a dance contest and makes a better impression than her favored rival, the catty Amber von Tussle (Colleen Fitzpatrick).

Always able to have fun, even when she's being mocked by the jealous popular girls, Tracy wins the affections of Amber's boyfriend and soon begins leading a movement to integrate the dance show, which has previously featured blacks only in a once-weekly theme night. She is arrested following a demonstration at a local theme park owned by Amber's father (Sonny Bono), who subscribes to the same theory of race relations as "The Corny Collins Show." Tracy's adventures are also filtered through her loving but eccentric parents (Divine and Jerry Stiller) and involve a humorous cultural clash with pot-smoking beatniks (Ric Ocasek and Pia Zadora). By Robert Hayes on June 17, 2014 Format: Amazon Video|Verified Purchase Arguably the high point of John Waters' career, HAIRSPRAY is a fun, energetic and infectious movie with a top-notch soundtrack and earnest performances from everyone involved. The story centers around Tracy Turnblad (Ricki Lake), a "pleasantly plump" teenager who spends her afternoons watching the Corny Collins Show, where teenagers dance the most popular dances to the latest tunes.

She manages to get on the show, and from there hopes to bring integration to Baltimore, Maryland (this takes place in 1962). While still maintaining some of the weirdness which made John Waters (in)famous, this film rises above campiness because of the social ideas it embraces, e.g., racial equality. There's also hints of commentary on fame and child stars, akin to themes explored in more explicit ways in his previous films, but the focus here is on bringing people together. And what better way than through music and dancing? Just about everything in the movie works, from the retro fashion which has been lovingly recreated/exaggerated to the choreography and music. It's so catchy that you just want to get up and dance yourself. Still, the movie isn't without its negatives. The narrative is a bit thin, and the conflict is resolved a little too easily, but this can be mostly forgiven because of the strength of everything else around it. Recommended for moviegoers of all ages. By Phil Smoot on March 8, 2016 Format: Blu-ray|Verified Purchase A surprise.

As I like the musical remake (that is based on the stage play), I thought that I might enjoy revisiting the original version. Wow, it is far better than I remembered! Also, this Blu-ray looks almost perfect -- No, not a reference quality look for showing off your home theater, but it looks like the prints of movies as I used to see projected in the theaters (only this Blu-ray transfer is spotless and color timed to perfection). The period music, the witty screenplay, the perfect style art direction and the fun cast make this a really fun film. I recommend both this film and the remake. By Ms. Susan L. Silverberg on March 9, 2014 Format: Blu-ray|Verified Purchase I viewed my Blu-Ray copy of the movie and throughly enjoyed it. This product is a good transfer of the cult favorite. The only negative thing was some of the special features, interviews with people, I didn't like. Not for appearence, but they were too odd for me. I did like the original featurette that was included. I like this movie better than the film starring, John Travolta as Edna Turnblad and Michelle Pfiffer.

I would have much perferred, Harvey Firestein, recreating his performance from the original Broadway cast. The other thing I do not like about the musical version is changing the character of Velma Von Tussel into a career woman. It was much funnier with Divine as Edna and the station owner. The budget might have been the reason for this. The soundtrack might be viewed by some as inferior, but John Waters explained this in the featurette. Between this version and the musical, I would choose this version, which was truer to the period. By Ryan Smith on August 27, 2013 Format: Amazon Video|Verified Purchase Okay, So i believe this film is a lost gem in movie history, For the fact that it's had one DVD release and is underrated. Some people think that the Musical was an orignal idea, But this film has something the musical will never have. That feeling of being a grainy Cult, Classic like Rocky Horror, and I LOVE THAT ABOUT IT! It has the great Divine in I believe her peak as a great actress and Ricki Lake. The feel is like a great 50's who-hop film!

Love this film, please see...In all honesty i enjoy it more than the other version from 2007 and i still really liked that one. By Jeff Wignall VINE VOICE on May 8, 2015 Format: DVD|Verified Purchase This is by far John Waters' best film. I've watched it a dozen times and it never gets old. Sonny Bono and Devine as a couple is just a riot. Everyone in the movie is terrific. It's so interesting to look at the 50s/60s through Waters' eyes, particularly with the film set in Baltimore. The music is fantastic--and the hair styles, oh my. The Baltimore in this film is a pretty fascinating contrast (or pretext) to modern Baltimore. I wish that city all the hope that this film has. Hairspray (1988 film) | Hairspray Wiki | Fandom powered by Wikia Edit Tracy Turnblad and her best friend, Penny Pingleton, audition for The Corny Collins Show, a popular Baltimore teenage dance show based on the real-life The Buddy Deane Show.

Despite being overweight, Tracy becomes a regular on the show, infuriating the show's reigning queen, Amber Von Tussle, a privileged, beautiful high school classmate whose pushy stage parents, Velma and Franklin Von Tussle, own Tilted Acres amusement park, where racial problems occurred). Tracy steals Amber's boyfriend, Link Larkin, and competes against her for the title of Miss Auto Show 1963, fueling Amber's hatred of her. Tracy's growing confidence leads to her being hired as a plus-size model for the Hefty Hideaway clothing store owned by Mr. Pinky. She is also inspired to bleach, tease, and rat her big hair into styles popular in the 1960s. At school, a teacher brands her hairstyle as a "hair-don't" and sends her to the principal's office where Tracy is sent to special education classes, where she meets several black classmates who have been put there to hold them back academically. The students introduce Tracy to Motormouth Maybelle Ruth Brown, an R&B record shop owner and host of the monthly "Negro Day" on The Corny Collins Show.

They teach Tracy, Penny, and Link dance moves and Penny begins an interracial romance with Motormouth Maybelle's son, Seaweed. This horrifies Penny's mother, Prudence, who imprisons her daughter in her bedroom and tries to her into dating white boys and oppose intergration with the help of a quack psychiatrist. Seaweed later helps her break out of the house and run away. It is implied that she will never return as she has finally broken free from her mother. Undeterred, Tracy uses her newfound fame to champion the cause of racial integration with the help of Motormouth Maybelle, Corny Collins, his assistant Tammy, and Tracy's agoraphobic, slightly overbearing, and overweight mother, Edna. After a race riot at Tilted Acres results in Tracy's arrest, Franklin and Velma Von Tussle grow more defiant in their opposition to racial integration. They plot to sabotage the Miss Auto Show 1963 pageant by planting a bomb in Velma's bouffant hairdo.

Tracy, who had won the crown but was disqualified for being in reform school, gate-crashes the pageant after the governor pardons her, along with all of her supporters, much to the Von Tussle's horror. This move integrates the Corny Collins Show, much to everyone's delight, apart from the Von Tussles. Tracy then steals the spotlight, wearing a pink gown adorned with roaches, and subsequently dethrones Amber with the help of Little Inez. And as everyone starts to join in the dancing, the Von Tussles' plan to sabotage the pageant literally blows up in Velma's face as the bomb detonates prematurely. The two are arrested and led away screaming as Amber, whom the wig had fallen onto, is ostracized and ridiculed by her former friends from the show. The movie ends as Tracy is crowned the rightful winner of the pageant, and in the final scene, calls on for everyone to dance.

Cast and Characters "Hairspray" by Rachel Sweet with Deborah Harry "The Madison Time" by Ray Bryant "I'm Blue (The Gong-Gong Song)" by The Ikettes "Mama Didn't Lie" by Jan Bradley "Town Without Pity" by Gene Pitney "The Roach" by Gene and Wendell Side Two "Foot Stompin'" by The Flares "Shake a Tail Feather" by The Five Du-Tones "The Bug" by Jerry Dallman and the Knightcaps "You'll Lose a Good Thing" by Barbara Lynn "I Wish I Were a Princess" by Peggy March "Nothing Takes the Place of You" by Toussaint McCall Additional songs Other songs appear in the movie, but are not on the soundtrack. "Limbo Rock" – Chubby Checker Ricki Lake - 必应 Sign in Ricki Lake Ricki Pamela Lake (born September 21, 1968) is an American actress, producer, and Emmy Award-winning television presenter. She is best known for her talk show which was broadcast internationally 1993–2004. In autumn 2012, Lake embarked on a second syndicated talk show endeavor airing on weekdays.

Acting Lake made her film debut as Tracy Turnblad, the lead character in John Waters' 1988 cult-classic Hairspray. Lake also starred in other Waters films including Cry-Baby (with Johnny Depp and Susan Tyrrell), Cecil B. Demented (with Melanie Griffith and Stephen Dorff), and Serial Mom (with Kathleen Turner and Sam Waterston). She starred in Mrs. Winterbourne with Shirley MacLaine and Brendan Fraser, Cabin Boy, Last Exit to Brooklyn, Cookie, and Inside Monkey Zetterland. She joined the cast of the Vietnam War drama series China Beach as a Red Cross volunteer, Holly "the Donut Dolly" Pelegrino, for the show's third season. She also had a recurring role on the CBS sitcom The King of Queens as Doug's sister Stephanie. She guest-starred on television series including Drop Dead Diva and a voice role on King of the Hill, and starred in the television movie Baby Cakes.

She has a cameo appearance in the 2007 remake of the original cult-classic Hairspray as a William Morris talent agent, and teamed up with star Nikki Blonsky, who had played the role of Tracy Turnblad in the 2007 movie musical remake, and Marissa Jaret Winokur, who had played the role of Tracy Turnblad in the Broadway musical based on the original 1988 film, to record "Mama I'm a Big Girl Now" for the soundtrack, which is played at the film's end credits. She later reunited with original Hairspray co-star Deborah Harry for the film Hotel Gramercy Park, which was released in 2008. Lake is currently[when?] filming her next feature film titled Angel, to be released in theaters in 2012.[citation needed] Talk shows Main article: Ricki Lake (TV series) Ricki Lake was Lake's first daytime talk show and was the youngest person at the time to host a talk show format at age 24 (that record would later be broken by eight-year-old Philippine child actress Ryzza Mae Dizon in 2013).

The show specialized in topics involving invited guests and incorporated questions and comments from a studio audience. The show debuted in syndication on September 13, 1993, and ended first-run episodes on May 25, 2004. In 2000, Lake told Rosie O'Donnell in an interview that she had signed on for four additional years. Although Sony Pictures Television had many stations contracted through the 2004–2005 season, Lake decided to end the show in August 2004, citing (among other things) a desire to spend time with her family. She moved from Los Angeles to New York to tape the 11th season of the show, then returned to California when taping was complete. Lake returned to the talk show platform when she hosted a second talk show which premiered in September 2012 and was cancelled after one season. 2006–2010: Other projects After her talk show had wrapped production on its final season, Lake went on to host the 2006 CBS limited series Gameshow Marathon, which re-created classic game shows with celebrity contestants.

She also signed a development deal with Gameshow Marathon production company FremantleMedia for other ventures, including creating and producing future programs and projects. In October 2007, Lake appeared in the Lifetime TV movie Matters of Life and Dating. Lake also had a cameo in the 2007 film Hairspray as a talent agent and also sang "Mama I'm A Big Girl Now" with Nikki Blonsky and Marissa Jaret Winokur for the film's end credits. The Business of Being Born, Lake's documentary about home birth and midwifery, was released in limited markets on January 18, 2008. The film premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival and Red Envelope released the film in New York, L.A. and San Francisco in October; it also screened in Australia. The Business of Being Born included footage and details of Lake's own "life-changing" home-birthing experience and followed a midwife going about her work. Tribeca called it "The Inconvenient Truth of Childbirth". Lake described it as her life's work for the last three years and expressed hopes that the film educated and empowered people to really know their choices in childbirth.

She performed in the CBS television special Loving Leah in January of that year. Lake also jointly wrote a book on the world of natural childbirth and birthing options, along with Abby Epstein and Jacques Moritz, Your Best Birth, which was published by Wellness Central on May 1, 2009. Lake and Epstein also launched MyBestBirth.com, an online social network, powered by Ning, intended to allow parents and medical professionals to dialogue about varying birthing options and resources. Lake returned to television on May 11, 2009, succeeding Sharon Osbourne as host for the third season of VH1's Charm School. On November 10, 2010, Lake joined fellow talkers Phil Donahue, Sally Jessy Raphael, Geraldo Rivera, and Montel Williams as guests of Oprah Winfrey on The Oprah Winfrey Show, marking the first time those hosts ever appeared together on one show since their programs left the air. Ricki Lake Personal life Lake met illustrator-bartender Rob Sussman in October 1993, on Halloween. The couple married in Las Vegas in March 1994. They have two sons: Milo Sebastian Sussman (b.

August 22, 1997), and Owen Tyler Sussman (b. June 18, 2001), whose water birth was actually shown in The Business of Being Born, the documentary, described above, that she also produced. Lake and Sussman separated in August 2003, and divorced in 2005. Lake began dating Christian Evans in the summer of 2009. They became engaged in August 2011, and married on April 8, 2012. In early 2007, Lake pursued a "new routine" resulting in 24 pounds (11 kg) of weight loss, taking her down to 120 pounds (54 kg). In the early 1990s, her weight peaked at 260 pounds (120 kg). In November 2007, Lake cited sexual abuse as a child as a reason for her obesity. On September 18, 2010, Lake's rented Malibu home was destroyed by fire. She and her sons escaped without injury.

On January 15, 2011, Lake finished in sixth place in the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure Luxury Ladies Poker Event, collecting $5,587 of the prize pool. ^ a b "Ricki Lake Biography (1968-)". FilmReference.com. ^ "Shopping In Syndication Hell". Newsweek. February 5, 1995. Retrieved 2010-03-03. ^ Zoglin, Richard (January 30, 1995). "Talking Trash". Time. Retrieved 2010-03-03. ^ Corliss, Richard (February 29, 1988). "Cinema: Buxom Belles in Baltimore 'Hairspray'". Time. Retrieved 2010-03-03. ^ Werts, Diane (December 6, 1993). "Respect earns Ricki Lake success on TV". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved 2010-10-30. ^ Cagle, Jess (December 30, 1994). "Entertainer 8: Ricki Lake".

Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2010-12-07. ^ Ikenberg, Tamara (February 28, 1999). "Gen-X Cinderella has the knack". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved 2012-04-11. ^ a b Albiniak, Paige (April 20, 2011). "EXCLUSIVE: Ricki Lake Returning to Daytime". Broadcasting & Cable. ^ Bonawitz, Amy (June 15, 2006). "Ricki Lake Is Back In The Game". CBS News. Retrieved 2009-05-15. ^ "The Business of Being Born (2008) – Movie Details". Yahoo! Movies. ^ "Ricki Lake's The Business of Being Born to Be Released in October". Variety. MovieWeb.com. August 29, 2007. Archived from the original on 2007-09-01. ^ a b "Benefit Screening: The Business of Being Born". Archived from the original on October 11, 2007.

^ "Ricki Lake: Ricki Lake On The Business Of Being Born". The Huffington Post. April 17, 2007. ^ "Your Best Birth". Hachette Book Group. Archived from the original on 2009-04-22. ^ "Ricki Lake Is the New Headmistress of VH1's Third Installment of Charm School". VH1 Press Release. Futon Critic. February 5, 2009. ^ "VH1's Charm School with Ricki Lake". VH1.com. ^ "Donahue, Sally, Geraldo, Montel, Ricki: Talk Show Hosts Together For The First Time". Oprah.com. November 8, 2010. ^ Albiniak, Paige (March 14, 2011). "EXCLUSIVE: Ricki Lake Poised for a 2012 Comeback". Broadcasting & Cable. ^ "Ricki Lake's talk show cancelled". 3news. Retrieved 6 February 2013. ^ Yamato, Jen (February 12, 2014).

"Ricki Lake, Abby Epstein Push 'Sweetening The Pill' Birth Control Doc". Retrieved March 10, 2014. ^ Castro, Peter (May 23, 1994). "Down the Alleys With...Ricki Lake". People 41 (19). Retrieved 2009-05-14. ^ Silverman, Stephen M. (2001). "Lake's Water Baby". People. Retrieved 2009-05-15. Note: Archived article erroneously dated August 22, 1997. ^ "All Talked Out: After Nine Years of Marriage and Two Kids, Ricki Lake Separates from Her Husband". People. September 8, 2003. ^ a b McNeil, Liz (May 23, 2010). "Ricki Lake Has a New Boyfriend". People. ^ Schwartz, Alison (August 11, 2011). "Ricki Lake Is Engaged". People. ^ McNeil, Liz (April 10, 2012). "Ricki Lake Elopes". People.

^ "Ricki Lake learned to lose weight the right way". Access Hollywood. MSNBC.com. May 9, 2007. ^ "Ricki Lake Gets Personal In New Book About Childbirth". Access Hollywood. May 26, 2009. Retrieved November 8, 2010. ^ "Ricki Lake and family escape death as fire burns down beachside vacation home in 30 minutes". Daily Mail (London). 19 September 2010. Retrieved September 19, 2010. ^ Sanger, David E. (January 15, 2011). "2011 PCA: Kristin Bihr wins Luxury Ladies Event". PokerStarsBlog.com. Retrieved January 16, 2011. Ricki Lake was Lake's first daytime talk show and at 24, she was the youngest person at the time to host one (that record would later be broken by eight ... Hairspray Reviews & Ratings - IMDb IMDb 32 out of 37 people found the following review useful: Delicious!

from Texas 5 August 2003 As a HUGE fan of John Waters films, I have nothing but praise for this film. So fun, so campy, so enjoyable ( and you know...there IS a real plot inside the film. It's not just music and hair! ) The characters are at once silly and loveable, esp. Divine as Edna Turnblatt. And who can't love Ricki Lake as the voluptous teen sensation, Tracy Turnblatt!?! It's such a great movie. The one liners alone make me howl, as well as the great 60's look they were able to COAT the film with ( like hairspray? ) The clothes, the furniture, the makeup, EVERYTHING. Stellar pseudo B-movie casting ( Debbie Harry, Sonny Bono ). It's a favorite!!! Was the above review useful to you?

29 out of 33 people found the following review useful: Timeless teen satire from Tampa, Florida 16 June 2002 Easily John Waters' best flick in terms of writing, direction, and mainstream appeal, it still has great little twisted touches like the rat Tracy kicks mid-makeout with her boyfriend, & her witchy rival's inevitable barf scene at the amusement park her bigoted parents (played by rock stars Sonny Bono and Debbie Harry) own. There's a strong undercurrent about race relations in 1962 Baltimore where the story is set, highlighted by Mrs Pingleton (Joanne Havrila)'s moronic descent into a black neighborhood to 'rescue' her daughter Penny from the arms of her black boyfriend Seaweed & be ridiculed by the residents. This is crosscut with the sheer exhilaration that Tracy & Penny are having dancing with their beaus in a black record shop down the street. Divine is hilarious as both Tracy's mom and the racist owner of the television station which hosts the Corny Collins 'American Bandstand' clone.

And the music is fabulous early rock'n'roll, all Brill Building & pre-Motown soul stuff like Lesley Gore & Chubby Checker, with wonderful choreography throughout. Was the above review useful to you? 28 out of 35 people found the following review useful: See This Movie! from United States 31 January 2000 I saw it when it first came out, I've seen it several times since, and my last viewing was just a few weeks ago. It never seems flat or old. It takes a look at an issue that doesn't necessarily seem to be a goldmine of laughs (racial difficulties in the early '60s) and turns it into just that without robbing it of any dignity or sense of importance. John Waters seems to have pulled out all the stops to insure this outcome, and it really paid off. The "pleasingly plump" pre-talk show Ricki Lake turns in a great performance in a role that's an inspiration to "chunky" girls everywhere. As always, Waters picks cameo and supporting actors that are dead-on perfect. His own turn as a psychologist is an absolute scream!

Brimming with hysterical lines and set-ups, this is a comedy you need to see, if you haven't already. Was the above review useful to you? 17 out of 21 people found the following review useful: Hairspray is the best! from Midlands, UK 18 September 2001 This has to be without a doubt my favourite movie. There are probably better but none that I have enjoyed as much. Its perfectly cast and well written. Ricki Lake, Divine, Vitamin C and of course Debbie Harry all shine. It deals with such a sensitive issue thats still relevant today (prejudice) in an easily digestable and engaging way. I love the dances and the whole feel of this movie. Its one you love or hate and I definatly love it! 10/10 Was the above review useful to you?

14 out of 18 people found the following review useful: Baltimore teens dance and battle segregation in the '60s from United States 4 November 2006 Ricki Lake plays Tracy Turnblad, a short, chubby teen with big hair who loves to dance in "Hairspray," a 1988 John Waters film starring Divine, Deborah Harry, Sonny Bono, Ruth Brown, Jerry Stiller, and Mink Stole. "Hairspray" has now been immortalized on Broadway as an enormous, energetic, fabulously entertaining musical which kept the conceit of a man playing Tracy's mother, again with great success. "Hairspray" is highly exaggerated in parts, which makes it extra funny, and Waters captures '60s Baltimore beautifully. Corny Collins, who is the Baltimore Dick Clark, would like nothing better than to integrate his television show, but blacks are only permitted to dance one night a week. The van Tussles are for segregation - that would be Sonny Bono, running for office, his wife Harry (on stage the former Miss Baltimore Crabs, in the film Miss Soft Crab).

Harry's hairstyles are fantastic - HUGE - her last hairdo is in the form of an enormous loving cup. When Tracy's friend Penny takes up with the son of an outspoken black woman, Motormouth Mabel (Ruth Brown), her hysterical mother has her kidnapped and put in the hands of a psychiatrist (Divine as a man) who tries to torture her to stop liking black men. It's so outrageous it's funny, and that's where Waters shows his talent. When Tracy gets a contract modeling for a plus-sized woman's shop, the owner's live ad on Corny's show begins, "Tubby, tubby, 2 x 4, can't get through the kitchen door." It's this madcap treatment that keeps any of this from being remotely offensive. All the performances are delightful, and there's a nice turn by Pia Zadora as a black-haired beatnik chick. "Hairspray" has a lot of warmth that emanates from Tracy and the Turnblad family, and the mood stays upbeat throughout the entire film as the characters dance through life, Tracy with an overlay of blonde hair over her dark flip. Great music, great fun. "Hairspray" in any version is wonderful.

Was the above review useful to you? 11 out of 13 people found the following review useful: Free Tracy Turnblad from Buffalo, New York 24 November 2008 Hairspray both this version and the new 2007 one are a pair of great satirical films about teenage mores in the early Sixties of the Civil Rights Era. Sometimes our heroes and heroines for civil rights and human decency can be found where you least expect. Such a person is Tracy Turnblad played by later television host Rikki Lake who's a full figured gal in every sense of the word. Her biggest desire growing up in Baltimore of the Early Sixties is to get on the local teen hop show hosted by Corny Collins. The regulars who dance there have a celebrity status, but something a fat girl dare not hope to dream. Tracy doesn't hope, she lives the dream and actually gets picked to dance and be a regular to the distress of plastic teen princess Colleen Fitzpatrick. But it's a cause for celebration for Tracy's parents played by Divine and Jerry Stiller and her best friend Leslie Ann Powers. All this is against the background of the civil rights era and Baltimore had its problems also.

The Corny Collins show is segregated with a prescribed Negro Day once a month. That seems as bogus to Tracy as baseball being segregated not too long ago and she joins the fight to integrate the show. She's even convinced her teen dream new boyfriend Michael St. Gerard to join in as well. A subplot is Powers finding love herself in the person of Clayton Prince who is black and that's upsetting to a lot of people, not the least is Powers's mother. It would be within that same decade that the Supreme Court did away with miscegenation laws, so these kids are running some real risks. Hairspray is a very funny film with a very serious message about live and live. In fact that's the main problem with the world today right now, certain people feeling they've got the right through religion or secular philosophy or plain out and out wealth who just feel they've the right to dictate the lives the rest of us are supposed to lead in conforming to how they see the world.

In the remake of Hairspray, Queen Latifah who plays Ruth Brown's role of Motormouth Mabel says to the characters playing the Powers and Prince roles that as a racially mixed couple that those young people should be prepared for a whole lot of stupid in the world to deal with. One cast member of this version of Hairspray had occasion to deal with a whole lot of stupid back in 1994. In the cast he's listed as Keith Douglas, lead singer of the Lafayettes DooWop group, but he was Keith Douglas Pruitt, a talented musician, actor, and composer. He and his partner were attacked by a trio of suburban rednecks who were dismayed at seeing two members of the same sex holding hands on Waverly Place. Keith sustained a fractured skull and a hearing loss for a while looked to permanently impair his career in music. It was in my working days with New York State Crime Victims Board that I met Keith Pruitt. I did the claims for both he and his partner, giving them what my agency could provide for both of them. He did go back to work eventually to the applause of his friends and admirers of his work.

Keith Pruitt died only a week ago at the age of 47. He left a legacy in art, but he also left a legacy in life as a genuine hero. One who certainly never started out to be one, but things are thrust upon us in life sometimes. He stood up to the homophobic bigots and bashers with dignity and pride. I'm really proud I knew him and was part of his story in a small way. And so this review of Hairspray is dedicated to Keith Pruitt, someone we can all emulate in life. Was the above review useful to you? 13 out of 17 people found the following review useful: Nostalgia gone askew from las vegas, nv 10 October 2001 John Waters reveals a somewhat more sentimental side with "Hairspray", a movie several people have told me they absolutely hated. I wondered what it was about Waters' style as a filmmaker that could provoke such anger? I think it's his affection for '60s movie-clichés transposed through nostalgia and Waters' own gross-out sensibilities (and his particular brand of humor, which can be quite wicked).

I didn't much care for the film the first time I saw it, but I gave it a second chance and it grew on me. The reckless amateurishness is off-putting at first, but you have to meet "Hairspray" halfway. There is much to enjoy here, not the least of which is Divine as Ricki Lake's mom (and also as a bigoted network bigwig); wheeling and dealing after her daughter finds TV fame, Divine becomes a coiffed society queen, twisting away in front of the television and tossing off jaded quips like, "It's the times...they're a-changin'." The performances are all happily hammy, colorful and amusing, and the lightweight story comfortably shoehorns-in relevant political issues to counterbalance the slapstick. Ricki Lake is very appealing in her debut; also hilarious, Pia Zadora as a beatnik and Debbie Harry as the mother of Lake's main rival ("1-2-cha-cha-CHA, 1-2-cha-cha-CHA!"). It's not a seamless, polished picture, but it does have heart and charm and this sold me--but on the second time around.

*** from **** Was the above review useful to you? 22 out of 36 people found the following review useful: Waters' talent undeniable. from Marietta, GA, USA 2 May 1999 After an abomination like 'Pink Flamingos' it was a surprise for me to learn that this guy had talent. Like Spike Lee or Oliver Stone, you've got to admit that John Waters, like him or not, is a born moviemaker. Also like those two (and ultimately all great directors) he knows how to speak with his own voice and translate his vision to the screen. His writing is most impressive here as he manages to point up the evils of racism and segregation while not abandoning his wacked-out comedic style. And his eye for period detail is uncanny (as long as the period wasn't too long ago!) 'Hairspray' is great entertainment, fun to watch and edifying, too. Who would have thought that? Was the above review useful to you? 6 out of 6 people found the following review useful: I'm an integrationist. We shall overcome someday.

from United States 23 February 2008 It is hard to believe that we are celebrating the 20th anniversary of this film this week. It is even harder to believe that just one week after it opened Divine left the world's stage forever. But, the star of the show was Ricki Lake in her first year as a film actress. She camped up John Water's script and delivered an enjoyable musical movie with a message that is just as important today as it was 20 years ago. It was really interesting seeing people like Sonny Bono, Blondie, Jerry Stiller, Pia Zadora, and, of course, writer/director John Waters himself. A goofy satire that is just as good today as it was then. Was the above review useful to you? 8 out of 10 people found the following review useful: THIS is a John Waters film?!?!?!?!?! 30 October 2006 *** This review may contain spoilers *** Wow, I was sure surprised by this film! If you've seen any of John Waters' earlier films, then this movie is a major shock because in so many ways this movie seems very,....normal and even uplifting!!

This, coming from the same director was delighted in nauseating his audiences or shocking their sensibilities!! HAIRSPRAY, despite being funny and unusual in many ways, is actually a very family-friendly and endearing film! These are certainly NOT the sort of things I thought I'd say about a Waters film. I like his offensive and mondo-bizarro-type films, but after viewing HAIRSPRAY I realize that I like the direction this film took. Sure, it's extremely sentimental and "nice", but the film is so dog-done fun and has such a decent central message that it's something I highly recommend to the kids! Surely this CAN'T be the same John Waters who produced the X-Rated FEMALE TROUBLE!! Well, believe it or not, it is and Waters has actually gone "mainstream"! Wow,...next I'll see pigs fly! I initially avoided this movie because I had seen a few small glimpses of it and thought it looked too tame and a trifle boring. However, I am so glad I forced myself to try it again.

The film has absolutely everything going for it--infectious music, a great style and love of the time period, a lot of great laughs, a strong socially-conscious message and a lot of characters you can't help but love. The most shocking thing about the film to me, though, was that Divine played a very wonderful and touching mother! Despite his/her great size, she loved her daughter, Tracy, and her husband and seemed like a pretty typical housewife--despite actually being a guy in drag. Divine also played a male role as an ultra-racist jerk and it was fun seeing him in dual roles (which he also did in FEMALE TROUBLE when he made love to the female version of himself, believe it or not). Ricki Lake played one of the more wonderful characters of a teen I have ever seen. Despite being very overweight, she was the type of kid I would love to have as a daughter--being very self-confident and decent through and through. It was also great seeing the plus-size Lake dancing very credibly in the film. In fact, I loved her dancing and the songs--you can't help but snap your fingers and enjoy them.

What I particularly liked about her character was that Tracy knew she was fat but didn't care, and as a result, those around her accepted her. In particular, the cutest guy in the film fell for her and could look beyond her weight. I know this isn't exactly like real-life, but it's sure how I wish life was and it is so great to see a non-neurotic fat and happy girl on film. All too often, they are either ignored completely (such as the unwritten "no one above a size 6 allowed on the film" rule), or shown as pathetic or tortured (like in the excessively pointless and cruel French film, FAT GIRL). Since it really is a John Waters film, despite all the nice and wonderful things, there are also the usual strange supporting characters as well. The best examples are Ric Ocasek (lead singer from The Cars) and Pia Zadora as the drugged-out beatnik couple that have very little to do with the movie's plot. But there are also appearances by Debbie Harry (from Blondie), Jerry Stiller, Sonny Bono and a few others who bounce in and out of the film. Strange casting, by the way is THE one constant in all Waters films.

Now for the plot, despite the whole emphasis on huge hair and doo-wop music, there is actually a deeper story that has substance. Ricki Lake (Tracy) has just become a regular on a local dance show (similar to American Bandstand, but set in Baltimore). She's an instant local celebrity and adored, but despite this, she cannot ignore that Black people are never allowed on the show with White kids--even though the music all has roots in the African-American culture. When her dippy friend (Penny) begins dating a nice Black man, Tracy cannot just ignore the segregation even though it would have been the safest thing for her to do in the early 60s where the movie is to have taken place. This leads to perhaps the funniest portion of the movie. Although there is a strong message of tolerance and racial togetherness, it is handled in a very funny tongue-in-cheek manner. When Penny and the gang go to a Black neighborhood in Baltimore to learn more about the local dance scene, her mom assumes Penny is going to be murdered! When this hysterical woman chases them into the "ghetto" and then behaves like she is going to die, it is a laugh riot!!!

Every time a Black person comes near her, she assumes she's going to die. When a hobo asks for a quarter, she gives him her purse and begs him not to kill her!!! It's so over-the-top, it's a great way to attack racism caused by ignorance. It gets even better when Waters himself plays a quack psychiatrist that tries to hypnotize and torture Penny into giving up dating a Black man! Despite how it sounds, this is not offensive but subversively funny! Overall, it's rare that I enjoy a movie as much as I liked this one. And when it was over, I felt great--and that makes this a truly special movie. UPDATE: I just saw the movie again and, begrudgingly, I must admit that I actually like the remake better. It did seem to have an energy level and polish that made it just a 'hair' better. Was the above review useful to you? Page 1 of 6: Tracy Turnblad | Hairspray Wiki | Fandom powered by Wikia Tracy Edna Turnblad is a major protagonist in both the 1988 and 2007 films.

She is the oversized optimistic, racially color-blind daughter of Edna Turnblad and Wilbur Turnblad . Personal Life and Personality Edit Tracy is a "pleasantly plump" girl, growing up in Baltimore, Maryland in the early 1960s. She is optimistic and lively, and not to mention blind to the racial segregation against blacks at the time. Her best friend is Penny Pingleton , a sheltered girl who lives at the mercy of her racist, religiously-devout mother, Prudence/Prudy Pingleton . In the 2007 film, her dream is to take part in the Corny Collins Show, a racially-segregated teen dance show hosted by Corny Collins .She hears of an opening in the show's cast one day as she watches after school, and begs her mother to allow her to audition. Edna vehemently refuses, saying that no one will be auditioning for anything in her home. Tracy expresses her wish to be famous and asks why she can't even try.

At that point, Wilbur returns home from his joke shop, "The Hardee Har Hut." Seeing Tracy close to tears, he asks what's been going on while he was away,.Tracy excitedly tells her father that she will be auditioning for a show tthe next day, but Enda refuses her again and Tracy runs off to her room to cry in private. Edna sadly tells Wilbur that she isn't trying to be mean to Tracy or limit her dreams, but she is afraid the managers at the station will hurt Tracy because she is large and therefore not considered attactive enough to be on screen despite her talent in dance. She begs Wilbur to talk to Tracy, knowing that she will be more willing to listen to him. The strategy backfires on Edna however, as Wilbur tells Tracy that she should dream big and fight for what she wants, essentially giving her his approval. Edna is cross, but resigned, and Tracy auditions at the station with Penny in the audience the following day. Edna proves to be right, however. Velma Von Tussle , the racist station manager at WYZT proves hard to win over.

She dreams of returning to her former "glory days" as the famed "Miss Baltimore Crabs" and forces her daughter Amber (the show's lead dancer alongside stud Link Larkin) to live out her ambitions. Velma rejects Tracy on a surface level for being overweight and supporting racial integration, but her deeper motives lie in the fact that she fears Tracy will be a threat to Amber's status as the female lead in the show's cast. Tracy had to cut class to make the audition, and her teacher catches her sneaking back in a state of total dejection. Tracy's actions land her in detention, where she meets the "Negro Day" dancers, and befriends Seaweed J. Stubbs , who tells her that she is "one of them." He teaches her several dance moves as a friendly initiation into his friends' inner circle, and Tracy finds herself wanting to come back to detention so as to see Seaweed and his friends more often. She realizes that she feels more accepted by them than any of her white classmates aside from Penny because they are different too, and able to look past her physical appearance to see her as nothing more than a friend on the inside.

While she is dancing with Seaweed in detention, Link spots her through the the door. When she exits, he makes a point of stopping her and letting her know that if Corny Collins saw her dancing with her new moves, he would cast her on the show as a regular dancer. He invites her to a record hop at which he will be singing and Corny himself will be hosting. Tracy shyly thanks him, and Link accidentally bumps Tracy as he walks away. He apologizes, calilng her "little darling" and saying he hopes he didn't "dent her 'do." Tracy is left compltetely smitten and goes through the rest of her school day in a daze. Taking Link up on his offer, Tracy attends the record hop, where she runs into Seaweed and his friends. She asks if he wants to show one of his dances, "Payton Place After Midnight," for Corny. He sadly tells her that he has to "dance with his crowd," much to Tracy's confusion.

She protests that it is Seaweed's dance, but he tells her she is welcome to "borrow it for a second." Tracy gleefully hugs him, much to Amber's shock and disgust, to which Tracy gives a snide smirk. Her dream finally comes true when she is spotted by Corny Collins, her dance attracting all of the white males to the dance floor, much to Amber and several other girls' horror. She is chosen by Corny himself to fill the open spot on the show, despite Velma's objections, and those of the CEO of Ultra Clutch Hairspray, the show's biggest sponsor. Penny is gleeful with the news, and rushes to the Turnblad house to show Edna and Wilbur the show's new star. Both are happily shocked and proud. Tracy quickly becomes the show's most popular dancer, even winning the approval of the CEO of Ultra Clutch because she has boosted his sales so much. Wilbur's shop begins specializing in Tracy-related products, and many of the show's dancers begin asking her for tips on her style. The biggest surprise of all comes when Mr. Pinky, the owner of a local shop, offers her the opportunity to be a spokesgirl.

Tracy asks Edna to be her agent, and while she is hesitant at first, Tracy manages to convince her. She negotiates Tracy's contract with Mr. Pinky, and both receive a set of new clothes as part of the deal. The two go out for ice cream sundaes to celebate, and run into Ms. Von Tussle and Amber. Tracy intoduces the mothers, and Ms. Von Tussle takes several subtle jabs at Tracy and her mother. She is threatened by Tracy, who is slowly creeping up to take Amber's title of Miss Teenage Hairspray, which she has won for the past three years. Edna is hearbroken and wants to take the clothes back, but Tracy won't allow her to. She reassures her mother that the Von Tussels only dislike them because they are a challenge to their undisputed power, along with the fact that Tracy has been slowly winning the heart of Amber's boyfriend, Link Larkin , who has become very attracted to her. One day in detention, Tracy introduces Penny to Seaweed, on whom Penny instantly develops a crush.

The talented black dancer invites Tracy, Penny, and Link to a party his mother is hosting that night, and while Link is nervous about visiting Seaweed's side of town, Tracy and Penny are excited to be invited places by "colored people" and feel "hip" because of it. Seaweed tells them he is very happy to hear they feel that way, because not many people would say the same. The three accompany Seaweed on the bus to his home, and meet his younger sister Little Inez Subbs along the way. Little Inez is thrilled to meet Tracy, as she admires her and feels very proud that she made it onto the Corny Collins Show. She senses that if Tracy can make it, maybe she can do so as well someday. Tracy picks up on Inez' s feelings immediately and tells her that she is eagerly anticipating the younger girls' addition to the cast, as well as her brother's. Later, Tracy meets Seaweed's mother, "Motormouth" Maybelle Stubbs, the host of "Negro Day" on WYZT and the center of Seaweed's vibrant community.

They enjoy the party until Tracy's mother arrives in hysterics because Tracy had forgotten to call her before going with Seaweed and the rest. (She had been tipped off by Amber under instuction from Velma, hoping to get Tracy in trouble and win Link back with an offer of advancement for his career. Tracy tells Edna here is no reason to worry, Seaweed and his friends are very kind and haven't let any harm come to her, Penny, or Link. Edna will have none of it, and is about to whisk her away to a waiting cab when Maybelle kindly invites her to stay and take something to eat from her spectacular buffet. Seeing the enormous spread before her, Edna can't resist and agrees to stay, along with her daughter. Maybelle is pleased and does her best to make Edna feel welcome, as she has already grown to like Tracy.

Edna asks Maybelle what the party is for, at which point Maybelle is forced to reveal to all the partygoers that she wanted to celebrate the end of a wonderful tradition: Velma had called earlier to tell her "Negro Day" was being cancelled as punishment for Maybelle's decision to allow some of her dancers to perform the same song as Velma herself had picked. Inez is heartbroken: she is finally old enough to dance on the show, and has practiced constantly to ensure she would be good enough. She worries that she will never get to dance, her one shot taken from her. Tracy deeply empathizes with her, along with all the other talented dancers who have been deprived of something that was rightfully theirs. She reassures Inez that if she can't dance on her own show, she and her friends can join the regular cast with her and Link. Maybelle sadly tells her that it isn't quite that simple: blacks and whites have never truly had equal rights, and they have certainly never been together on TV before.

Tracy gets an idea and suggests that "if they can't dance, maybe they should just march" meaning that the cast of "Negro Day" should stage a protest against the station. Maybelle and her children enthusiastically agree, and plans are made to protest on the following Friday. Edna begs Tracy not to join them: she thinks Maybelle and her family are very kind, but she worries about repercussions in the future for Tracy. Tracy ignores her, and asks Link if he wants to go with them. Link sadly refuses, saying that he can't risk his career when he has been offered such a big chance. He says the "adventure" Tracy is proposing is "a little too big for him." Tracy misinterprets this to mean that he isn't interested in continuing in a relationship with her because she is too large to be desirable. She leaves the party with Edna in tears, while Link tries and fails miserably to explain himself. Edna and Tracy arrive home late. Tracy is still feeling hurt and wants to go to bed early. Edna agrees, but secretly goes to change clothes, hoping to get some private time for just Wilbur and her to be together.

She goes down to the jokeshop to surprise him, but finds Velma inside trying to seduce Wilbur. (She is purposely hurting Tracy's family in an effort to get Tracy off the Corny Collins Show and give the spotlight back to Amber.) Velma is in Wilbur's arms as he stands shocked and unsure of what to do, but Velma makes remarks that lead Enda to believe that Wilbur had been intimate with her for some time. She is completely devastated by Wilbur's "betrayal:" she changes the locks on the doors so Wilbur can't come in the house, and refuses to allow Tracy back on the Corny Collins Show. Tracy goes to see her father in the middle of the night to make sure he is all right and try to convince him to come back to Edna. Wilbur tells her that Edna is the only woman he has ever loved, and he never meant to hurt her with Velma: to be honest, he didn't like her, but couldn't think of a way to fend her off. Tracy is pleased to hear that Wilbur wants to fix things, but she can't understand why Velma would stoop so low.

Her father tries to comfort her, but she says the experiences of the past few days have helped her to come out of her "bubble" and see the injustices around her. She thinks that people like her, the ones who are different, can't simply sit and wait for fairness to come. They will have to "get up off their father's laps and fight for it." Wilbur tells her he is proud of her and encourages her to act on what she thinks is right, Older people like him and Edna don't see much outside of their own lives, but Tracy's dreams are bigger than anything they had, and they could use a lesson from her in pursuing them. Tracy thanks him and asks him to come back to the house, but he laments that there's nothing he can do since Edna changed the locks. Tracy slyly smiles and offers him the spare key she took from the house before coming down to the jokeshop. Wilbur manages to come back with Tracy and fix things with Edna, much to the delight of both of them.

The next morning, an elated Edna comes to reassure Tracy that things are all right between her and Wilbur, but is horrified to find that Tracy has left the house without telling them where she planned to go. She calls for Wilbur in a panic, hoping he will know were to start looking for her. Being a proactive supporter of racial integration, Tracy had gone out to join Seaweed and Maybelle tnheir protest demanding equal rights for black Americans. Maybelle warns her that she will never be allowed to dance on the Corny Collins Show again as a consequence of her actions as a white supporter of the protest. Tracy says that she knows this, but if she can't dance with Seaweed and Little Inez beside her, she doesn't want to dance for Corny Collins at all. She and the other protesters begin their peaceful march through the city. A short time later, Edna finds Tracy among Maybelle's supporters. She is relieved to find her, but upset that she left without permission, She tires to convince Tracy to leave the protest by saying Maybelle has plenty of help already, but Tracy will not be moved and promises to stay with Maybelle.

Before the argument can escalate further, the protesters find themselves on a direct path to confrontation with a wall of white policemen and cameras from various news networks. Edna is afraid off the cameras, but Tracy tells her there's notthing to do but to keep marching. (Some of the cameras belong to WYZT, as someone has called Velma to inform her of what is going on, and she has demanded that WYZT cover the events in hopes of destroying Tracy once and for all.) Maybelle and the rest all stop in front of the police, who tell her that she and her "little friends" should just head home. Tracy becomes angry and tells the officer not to be rude, but Maybelle warns Tracy to remain calm and hold her temper; she has everything under control. She respectfully but firmly questions the officer as to why the group cannot pass by, they have committed no acts of violence and therefore have the right to continue. The officer turns away from Maybelle in disgust, and Tracy taps him with her picket sign to get his attention and remind him that Maybelle is speaking to him. The officer becomes very angry and begins telling his partners to arrest all the protesters.

In the chaos, Edna and Tracy are separated, and Tracy runs away to Penny's for shelter, as she knows the police will want to punish her for "breaking the law" (the media has quickly dramatized the story without checking their sources, so it has spiraled further and further out of control until reporters begin telling their viewers that Tracy has attacked the officer with a knife,) and that her parents' home will be the first place they will search for her. She trusts Penny to protect her in her unused basement, and Penny quickly agrees to help. Things go awry a little while later when Prudy finds Penny hiding "a fugitive." She tells Tracy the police are coming for her and ties Penny up to prevent her from helping Tracy escape. Penny yells for Tracy to go, and she quickly slips out the window. Back at the Trunblad house, Edna and Wilbur are anxiously waiting to hear news of their daughter.

Wilbur tells Edna that he is proud of her and Tracy, but apologizes that they may be "eating beans for the next 10 years" because he had bailed all of Maybelle's protesters out of jail simply because he knew "it was the right thing to do, and Tracy would want me to." Edna tells him that "knights in armor don't come any shinier" than he does, when a knock at their door startles them. Edna instantly runs to answer it, hoping for information about Tracy. She is surprised to find Link waiting outside. He tells Edna that he can't stop worrying about Tracy and wondering if she is safe. He is angry at himself that he hadn't been there to protect "his girl" when he should have been where she needed him. He says he cannot sleep or eat, to which Edna offers to fix Link some pork out of worry that "if he gets any skinnier, he'll starve to death." She invites him in to sit with the Turnblads while they wait. Meanwhile, Seaweed has managed to sneak into Penny's room.

After being bailed out of jail, he had hurried to Penny's house, knowing she would be there, and most likely Tracy as well. Penny is shocked that he would do this for her, but he simply says he is there to rescue his "fair maiden" and kisses her. Penny nearly cries with happiness, and admits she had worried their races would keep her and Seaweed apart, but he promises that won't happen. The rope tied around Penny though; is another matter entirely. He teases her, asking if Prudy was in the navy. Once Penny is freed, she and Seaweed climb out the back window where one of his friends is waiting with a car. Tracy emerges from her hiding spot nearby, and agrees to ride in the trunk to prevent getting caught. Penny hides too, on Seaweed's lap under a blanket so that the police will not suspect. Finally, everyone arrives at the record store above Seaweed's house to rest, but not before Maybelle and Inez find them. All are afraid she will turn Tracy in, but instead she scolds Seaweed for forgetting his manners and not helping Tracy sooner after everything she has done to help them.

Tracy says she finds the offer of help extremely generous, but she doesn't want to risk the safety of anyone in the family. Maybelle tells her not to be silly, and changes the subject, asking Seaweed why he brought Penny along. He admits that the two are in love, much to Tracy and Inez's delight, and while Maybelle is happy of them and approves of Penny, she warns them that they will have a lot of trouble from the ranks of racist whites in Baltimore. Penny reminds her that she has already gotten plenty of practice living with her mother. Tracy asks to call her parents and let them know she is safe. Tracy, Wilbur, Edna, and Link work together to make a plan so that Tracy can appear at the Miss Teenage Hairspray pageant to demand integration of the Corny Collins Show. Later on, Seaweed, Wilbur and other "Negro Day" dancers help smuggle Tracy into the Miss Teenage Hairspray pageant by hiding her inside a large hollow hairspray canister on display outside.

The police officers sent to the station's headquarters for security reasons receive a false tip from Edna, which turns out to just be Wilbur in a Tracy wig. The officers find that they have locked themselves out and must use the hairspray can as a battering ram to re-enter the building. When Velma asks what took them so long, one says that "the hairspray battering ram was heavy." Velma is baffled: the cans cannot be heavy because they are hollow. A slit in the side of the canister reveals that the officers had actually carried Tracy directly into the station headquarters. Furious, Velma hurries to ensure Amber's victory by switching the tallies to make it look like the public had voted for her. Just before the winner is announced, Tracy gate-crashes the show, her hair straightened and wearing a checkerboard dress without a petticoat underneath to symbolize racial integration and her separation from her "conformity to the man". She then proceeds to humiliate Amber, and subsequently paves the way for Little Inez to win the pageant, thus realizing her hopes of integrating the Corny Collins Show, and quite possibly pushing the movement for racial integration in the rest of the country.

In the finale, Link, who has come to terms with his love for Tracy, and her share a kiss, cementing their new relationship. Penny and Seaweed have confirmed their relationship as well, and both are given the chance to dance on the show as a team. (Needless to say, Prudy nearly has a heart attack when she hears Penny proclaiming that she is a "Checkerboard Chick" before she kisses Seaweed on live television.) Edna overcomes her insecurity and joins in the dancing despite the cameras, much to Wilbur's delight. Velma's interference is discovered, and she is promptly fired, with Maybelle hired as her replacement. In the end, Amber is somewhat reformed, and (after getting intrigued by a handsome black dancer whom later tap that ass dances with in the finale) tries to convince her mother to accept the fact that she lost. She can still dance on the show if Corny will have her, and she at least knows Link is happy, so its not the end of the world. (In truth, Amber seems happier too, freed from her mother's impossible expectations and lies.) Little Inez is promoted to lead dancer in honor of her pageant victory.

Tracy has not only been given her dream, but helped Inez find hers too.o Songs (2007 film) Good Morning Baltimore (performed by Tracy) Run and Tell That (performed by Seaweed and Inez) I Know Where I've Been (performed by Maybelle and protesters) You're Timeless to Me (performed by Edna and Wilbur) Miss Baltimore Crabs (performed by Velma) It Takes Two (performed by Link) The Nicest Kids in Town (performed by Corny and Corny Collins Show cast) Big, Blonde, and Beautiful (performed by Edna and Maybelle, reprise performed by Edna and Velma) Hairspray (performed by Corny Collins) Ladies' Choice (performed by Link) I Can Hear The Bells (performed by Tracy) Welcome to the '60s (performed by Tracy and Edna) Without Love (performed by Tracy, Penny, Seaweed, Link, and others) New Girl in Town (performed by Amber, Tammy, and Brenda 1st version, the Dynamites 2nd version) You Can't Stop the Beat (performed by the entire main

 cast) So Far to Go (performed by the entire main cast) Mama I'm a Big Girl Now (performed by Tracy, Penny, and Amber) Actresses Edit Tracy was played by actress Ricki Lake in the 1988 film, whilst in the 2007 remake, she was played by Nikki Blonsky.

The 2007 film was actually Blonsky's debut as a professional actress. Lake also made a cameo appearance in the 2007 film. With Hairspray Live! in 2016, she was played by Maddie Baillio. WHO'S THE HAIR APPARENT? - Today's News: Our Take | TVGuide.com WHO'S THE HAIR APPARENT? by TV Guide News | Jan 26, 2006 3:00 AM EST Share on Facebook Share on Google Plus Share on WhatsApp New Line Cinema is launching a nationwide casting call to fill the lead role of Tracy Turnblad in its film version of the Broadway adaptation of the 1988 film Hairspray, Variety reports. (Ricki Lake played the tempestuous teen on the big screen, while Stacked's Marissa Jaret Winokur originated the stage portrayal.) As for some of the other major characters, the studio is in talks with John Travolta, Billy Crystal and Queen Latifah to play Edna Turnblad, Wilbur Turnblad and Motormouth Maybelle, respectively. I'd love to see Travolta keep his Battlefield Earth dreadlocks.

Question: Ricki Lake played the character Tracy Turnblad in which 1988 film?
Answer: Hairspray